The Begining of the End
by DiaRose
Summary: Ok, this is about the begining of the journey that's planned in the end of Half Blood Prince. You know, the one where he goes to Godric's Hollow and all that. So, just... R&R please, lol, I hate doing summaries. Just tell me what you think, I may add m
1. The Beginning of the End

Things were quiet at the Dursley house for the first summer in years. Harry never left his room; he didn't even exist to them. Petunia and Vernon went about their normal affairs like always, and Dudley was fatter than ever. Things were normal.

In Harry's room, everything was still packed. Everything but his books. He'd paid an extra visit to Diagon Alley after Hogwarts, to withdraw his gold from Gringotts and buy all the books he could to prepare himself for the journey ahead.

The photo album he'd treasured since his first year at Hogwarts still lie on his bedside table, pages turned open to the most recent addition: A photo of himself, kissing goodbye to his newly found, and already lost first love, Ginny Weasley.

Sitting beside them were Ron and Hermione. They were slightly less passionate about their farewell, but in the moving picture you could see their fingers touching intimately. That was a big step for them.

He planned to separate this picture from the rest and take it with him on his quest, in case he ever needed to look back at the last time he'd see his friends, possibly ever. It was sad, but still he was filled with relief that he'd finally convinced his friends not to come along. It was 6:00 AM on the day he'd promised himself he'd start off to Godric's Hollow. He was still asleep, but only halfway. He'd be leaving in just a few minutes.

The moment the doorbell rang he knew he should have been ashamed of himself for not knowing his friends any better. For not knowing they'd be there the moment he was really going to be gone. He decided he wouldn't answer it. They'd have to face the Dursleys in the early morning before they could get to him, and when they did he'd have already flown out the window.

Unless Hermione decided to apparate up to his room. That wouldn't be unlike her. But he'd stay in bed a few more minutes, and hopefully she'd leave.

His plan didn't work out so well. A girl did apparate up to his room, and sat herself on his bed. But it wasn't Hermione. A small, freckly, red-haired girl pushed Harry's hair back up on his head while he lie there pretending to sleep, until he opened his eyes to see her.

"Ginny!" He yelled. She was the first he'd convinced not to come; he didn't expect to see her. "You promised me…"

"I lied. I couldn't let you do this on your own." She leaned over and kissed him. "Now come on, Ron and Hermione are downstairs talking to your aunt and uncle." He had no choice now. He had to let them come. He stood out of bed.

"How did you get up here?" He asked.

"Apparated." She said coolly. Handing him his shoes.

"You're sixteen, how'd you learn to apparate?" He asked.

"Illegally, Hermione taught me. Come on!" She grabbed his arm and dragged him downstairs to the sitting room. And what he saw there made him happier than Hogwarts could. And frightened him almost more than Lord Voldemort himself.

The Dursleys were sitting, looking confused. They were talking to two figures sitting nuzzled together on the couch. He recognized the figures at once; they had been his best friends for nearly seven years now. And what frightened him so much, was that he knew if they left together, at least one of them would surely be killed by the end.


	2. Fearing For Friends

Harry looked from Ron and Hermione to the Dursleys several times. Hermione was lovingly recounting the details of the Weasley/Delacour wedding, which had taken place mere weeks before. Ron's mouth was pressed against the back of her head as she did.

The Dursleys sat intently, listening to Hermione tell about Fleur's dress, and how it made her look even more beautiful than usual… on the outside at least. Harry couldn't understand why she was saying all this.

"She's saying they're about to get married, Bill and Fleur." Whispered Ginny. "Wants your Aunt and Uncle to think you're going to a wedding, not off fighting some dark wizard."

This explained very little. Of course, it explained why Hermione was talking about a wedding, now of all times, but it didn't explain why the Dursleys would just sit there, and allow three wizards to hold a conversation with them, when they usually freaked out when Harry mentioned a broomstick… even one used for cleaning purposes.

Harry stepped forward, and as the floor beneath him creaked, Hermione broke off mid-sentence. The Dursleys looked over at him, and he saw the answer to his question. All three mouths had been magically sealed shut, six arms bound to chairs, six feet, bunched together in twos. Suddenly Hermione leapt from Ron's arms and hugged Harry vigorously. Ron stood, too.

"I've been so worried, Harry." Said Hermione, then remembered that she was supposed to be lying. "You know, we're going to be very late." Ron gave Harry a friendly pat on the back and said "All right?"

"Been better." Said Harry, angry that they had come, and thrilled he wouldn't have to go on without them. Hermione had engaged in conversation with Ginny, and a mute Petunia. "You and Hermione've come a long way since I last saw you." He continued, remembering the photo of the two barely touching, and the scene he'd just witnessed, of her resting lovingly on his lap. Ron smiled bashfully.

"Yeah, well, after you left..." He looked across the room at her. "You're not surprised are you?"

"Can't say I am." Admitted Harry, shaking his head. "I really wish you wouldn't come." He told him seriously. Ron shrugged.

"Keep wishing, mate." Said Ron with a smile. "You should have known we'd be here no matter what. We were afraid you'd lied about the date, so we've been here every morning since the wedding. Figured we'd let you know we were here today, you weren't going to leave late if anything."

"I will if it will convince you not to come." He said firmly. Ron had grown even more since June. Harry had to look up just to make eye contact.

"It won't." Ron assured him. "You can't do this alone. Even if you die you'll want your friends there." He joked, though it was entirely true. If his life were to end, at the age of seventeen, he wouldn't care to be alone. But at least he would be the only one dead. Everyone seemed inappropriately lighthearted, but he knew that was best. If they were to die, they shouldn't have been miserable in their final hours.

"I suppose we'd better get going then?" Suggested Harry, as though this was not _his _quest they were embarking on.

"You ready, Hermione, Ginny?" Hermione whipped out her wand, and used it to blow open the front door. The sky outside was still a gloomy dark, and the wind had a chill unusual for summer. All four of them walked over to the door, and Hermione turned back to the Dursleys, raising her wand.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked her, she lowered her wand and turned back to him.

"I'm freeing your aunt and uncle!" She said, as if it were a stupid question, with an obvious answer. She unsealed their lips, but they still seemed unable to speak, and as she raised her wand again, Ron grabbed her wrist, and looked to Harry. Harry smiled back. He turned back to Hermione.

"Just leave them." He told her. She smiled, and lowered her wand. The Dursleys regained their voices, and Ginny laughed as they began to shout in protest. The four of them turned out the door, and headed out into the early morning air.


	3. Where to?

"So where're we headed first?" Ginny asked Harry. He didn't make eye contact with anyone. They were going to be walking or flying to wherever they went, Harry always hated apparating.

"We're going to the Burrow." Said Harry firmly, "you three saw me off, and now you can go home." Before his sentence even finished, three different voices erupted in protest.

"…Never! I'm not backing off now…"

"…Let you really dump me at the funeral, no, I'm not going to stand for that…"

"…Seven years' friendship! If you think I'm giving up on you now…"

"…When haven't Ron and I been there?"

"…I can take care of myself, everyone treats me like a baby…"

"… Supposed to be best friends!"

He couldn't understand a full sentence. They were all shouting at the same time.

"We're going back!" He insisted, speaking over all of them. "We're going back to the Burrow whether you like it or not!" They all stopped speaking. There was a pause, and for a moment Harry thought he'd convinced them with his feeble attempt. Then the shouting continued.

"I'm not going!"

"…Certainly not…"

"…what kind of friend do you take me for?"

"…can't convince any of us…"

"…almost of age!"

"…since we were _eleven_…"

"I'm coming."

"I'm coming."

"I'm coming."

Silence. Harry took a deep angry breath.

"Fine." He said. "Fine. You can come. I can't stop you." They smiled triumphantly.

"Thank you." Said Hermione, and turned on her heel, grabbing Ron by his wrist and forcing him to follow. Ginny continued to smile.

"Thank you." She agreed, and kissed him on the cheek, as he stood there, angry and silent. She stepped ahead, and walked forward to catch up with Ron and Hermione, and Harry followed. "So really, where are we going first?" Harry sighed. He'd known where he was going first for months, but he still wasn't sure whether to give up hope on convincing her not to come.

"Godric's Hollow. I want to see it. I want to know what my home would be like if Mum and Dad hadn't…" He trailed off. He didn't really want to say 'died', although he'd never had a problem with the word before.

"Sounds wonderful." Said Hermione, trying to lighten his mood. "I'd love to see it, too."

"So would I." Ginny nodded. Harry looked at the ground in front of him. Ginny sighed, and they all walked on. "I suppose we can't apparate there?" She asked.

"No." Answered Ron. "None of us knows what it looks like."

"I know where it is, though." Said Harry. "I assume you brought your brooms?" Ron and Ginny nodded. "Good, we can fly then." Finished Harry, pulling out his Firebolt from a trunk, as Ron and Ginny took out their broomsticks, (Fred and George had bought Ginny one for their birthday) and mounted them all. Hermione stepped back nervously.

"But…Harry, I don't have a broom. You know I can't fly well… I'm afraid of heights…" She wrung her hands, and glanced back and forth at all three broomsticks like they were insects that might be poisonous.

"Well, we can't walk there, Hermione, it's too far." Said Harry. Maybe this would mean at least Hermione wouldn't be joining them.

"But I don't have a broom…"She repeated.

"You'll just have to stay here then." Said Harry, and kicked off the ground, just to hover for a moment.

"What?" She said, angry. She was helpless to argue, she couldn't fly without a broom, she couldn't walk that distance by herself and without direction, and she couldn't apparate without knowing what the place looked like. "But…" Ron swung his leg over his broom.

"Come on." He said, patting behind him, on the broom.

"Huh?" She asked, looking as though he was insane.

"Get on my broom, come on." He said. She stepped back again, and looked down at the broom. "It's all right, Hermione, I'm a good flyer." She shook her head.

"I know you are but…" She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Do you want us going all this way without you?" He asked. Hermione sighed, and hesitated still. "It's all the better for us, at least we'll know you're safe." He told her, knowing she would end up coming with them. "Now we really have to go, so if you're coming, hop on. I'll go slow." Hermione whimpered.

She used a disillusionment charm on Harry and Ginny, being the only one who knew how to perform one, and then reluctantly swung her leg over the back of Ron's broom, and clung to him tightly, and terrified as he kicked off the ground, and as she disillusioned herself and Ron, they followed Harry's voice into the night, on to Godric's Hollow.


End file.
